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Great food, not to expensive

I've been to the White Rabbit several times over the past 12 months and with the exception of one very busy summers afternoon the service has always been excellent (and they gave us a round of free drinks on that one bad afternoon). The pub is situated just off the A229 but is shrouded behind trees and even when sitting in the Garden the road is barely visible and not intrusive. Maidstone East railway station and the town centre are only a few minutes walk away. Whatman park is also just the other side of the road so nice for a lunchtime walk.

The menu has all the pub classics plus a few extras. Food is good and staff are always very friendly. The inside of the pub is well maintained, compact but not to crowded. Food is ordered at the bar and is delivered promptly by a smiling Waitress/Waiter.

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I would like to draw people's attention to what is going on at the "White Rabbit" pub in Maidstone.

I am a local resident who lives very close to the "White rabbit pub". I drink and eat in the establishment at least once every 2 weeks, usually with 3 or four friends, sometimes more(or rather used to).I have done this for over 8 years on a regular basis. That's about £400 per month! Regular money.

On Sunday I went to the white rabbit pub for drinks with friends. After which I decided to leave my car in the car park over night, because I wanted to be a good citizen and didn't want to drink and drive. I have done this for many years.On Monday morning when picking up the vehicle, I was surprised to find out I'd been clamped. The Hired hand demanded £185.00 from me, and threatened to tow the vehicle away.

I feel this pub is penalising local customers for spending their hard earned money in the "white rabbit" pub.

With this kind of attitude I don't think the "white rabbit pub" deserves paying customers.I have tried to discuss the issue with the management who are not interested and say tough luck.

I will never visit this establishment again and neither will any of my friends.

I feel this kind of business should be illegal and feel that everyone should know how this pub is operating.

I do have a right to my opinion and, I would advise everyone to steer clear of the "White rabbit pub" in Maidstone unless you don't mind paying the £185.00 fee to get your vehicle out of their car park after you've had a quick pint.

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Worth a look if you need a place to stay in Kent

At the beginning of June this year a good friend of ours got married, they decided to keep it low key and chose to have the wedding in their home town of Maidstone in Kent instead of travelling anywhere. Good news for budget concious people like me!

Now I've been to Maidstone many times but having always stayed with friends was unaware of any decent hotels in the area. On asking my soon to be wed friend for her recommendations, she said her family were staying at a place called the White Rabbit, close to the centre of town. It's an Inn with a small number of hotel rooms at the back, had to better than the newly opened Travelodge, which to be honest I am utterly bored with as they no character whatsoever.

My partner and I checked out the hotels website that evening, firstly to see what the place was like, and then of course to check if they had any rooms free for the wedding. The pictures of the hotel and pub/inn looked cosy, inviting and well cared for. The hotel rooms, of which there are only 10, seemed to be the same and full of character too. It turns out the White Rabbit used to be part of the Barracks in Maidstone until recently and was saved from demolition to become a hotel.

After checking out the website, hearing good things from my friend, and reading some positive reviews online we decided to book a room at the White Rabbit. I used my Visa card with no hassles and a double room for two nights was £60 per night with free continental breakfast, very reasonable I think.

Where is the hotel?The hotel is situated on Sandling Road in Maidstone, 5 minutes from the M20 and within walking distance of the town centre. We found it easily without having to use a sat nav.

Easy to park?The hotel has a medium sized parking area to the side closest to the entrance. The bays are not marked however so you have to be careful when parking to ensure you leave enough room around you. We didn't have to pay to park as we were staying at the lodge/hotel overnight, otherwise it's £1 per hour Monday through to Saturday evening.

What are the rooms like? There are 6 of them, all slightly different from each other. The room we had was a good size with a double bed, lots of wardrobe/storage space and a large bathroom. The room had freeview TV and coffee/tea making facilities as well as a hairdryer, all the things you would expect from a decent hotel room. The floors creaked a bit plus the walls looked as if they weren't straight but then that's what you would expect from an older building.

Good service?When we arrived to check in, despite being a good 30 minutes early we were given a warm welcome and told we could go to our room straight away. It took around 10 minutes to sort out and we had all the ins and outs of the hotel explained to us in simple terms. Just the thing you want after a 3 hour drive.

Check in times? Check in is after 3pm up to 11pm, and check out is 12pm

Food options? The hotel has a pub next to it which is large, dark and cozy. It puts me in mind of old country places with real log fires and logs of large comfy arm chairs to enjoy a pint in. Booking a table is recommended for weekends as being in the centre of town it's very popular with the locals.

The food served is your typical pub grub, fish and chips, steak and ale pies, curries etc.... all washed down with lots of local ale and beers. I had fish and chips our first there and struggled to finish it all as the portion was so huge! for £6.99 it was a good deal.

They also serve Sunday roasts which cost £9 per head. We had beef which was served with a huge yorkshire pudding, lots of roast parsnips, carrots and potatoes and lashings of gravy, it was in a word, delicious and very filling. We even had room for a side order of cauliflower cheese.

We were impressed with the hotel overall and had a very enjoyable stay, it's a warm and friendly place in a convienient location, and is staff with people who know how to look after you. I'd recommend the White Rabbit to anyone looking for a good value place to stay in Kent.